The instant invention relates to ornamental jewelry and more particularly to an earring and display card assembly and to a method of assembling an earring assembly on a display card.
Jewelry display cards have generally been found to be effective for packaging and displaying ornamental jewelry articles, such as earrings of the type which are adapted for use on pierced-ears. In this regard, most jewelry display cards generally comprise a substantially flat card portion having at least one aperture therethrough and means for hanging the card portion from a display stand or hanger. For use of a display card of this type for displaying an earring, the post of the earring is passed through the aperture in the card portion and a clutch or the like is assembled with the post on the rear side of the card portion. The display card can then be suspended from a display stand or hanger so that the earring is attractively displayed in front of the front side of the card portion. Further, when the card portion of a display card of this type is adapted to accommodate a pair of earrings, the earrings can be displayed together on the card portion so that they are retained in a pair and not easily inadvertently separated from one another.
Unfortunately, however, while jewelry display cards have generally been found to be effective for packaging and displaying ornamental jewelry items, such as earrings and the like, the heretofore available procedures for assembling ornamental jewelry items, such as earrings and the like, on display cards have been found to be relatively labor intensive. This is because, in most instances, the heretofore available assembly procedures have not been adapted for automated assembly techniques but rather they have required time consuming, labor intensive manual assembly procedures. Specifically, in most instances heretofore it has been necessary to assemble earrings on display cards by manually inserting the posts of the earrings through apertures in the display cards and by thereafter manually assembling clutches on the posts. This has been found to be a relatively costly and time consuming assembly operation but because of the overall effectiveness of display cards for displaying jewelry items, such as earring and the like, it has nevertheless been the accepted practice for assembling earrings on display cards.
It has now been found that by providing slits which radiate outwardly from the apertures in a jewelry display card it is possible to assemble earrings or the like having clutches preassembled thereon onto the display card. It has been further found that as a result for the first time it is possible to assemble a pair of earrings and clutches on a display card in an entirely automated assembly operation. Specifically, it has been found that it is possible to assemble a clutch on the post of a pierced-earring in an automated assembly operation and to then assemble the earring-clutch assembly with a display card in a second automated assembly operation. In particular, the second assembly operation is carried out by inserting the post of the earring into the aperture in the display card so that the clutch causes the fingers defined by the slits around the aperture to be deflected rearwardly as the clutch is passed at least partially through the aperture.
Accordingly, the method of the instant invention is operative for assembling an earring assembly on a display card. The earring assembly comprises an ornament member having front and rear sides, a post extending rearwardly from the rear side of the ornament member, and a clutch which is received and releasably frictionally retained on the post. The display card includes a substantially flat card member having a reduced aperture therein and a plurality of slits which radiate outwardly from the aperture to define a plurality of resilient fingers therearound. The aperture is dimensioned for normally receiving the post therethrough but not the clutch, although the fingers around the aperture are rearwardly deflectable for receiving the post with the clutch thereon through the aperture. The method comprises the step of passing the post with the clutch thereon through the aperture from the front side of the card member to position at least a portion of the clutch on the rear side of the card member. The clutch preferably comprises a substantially cylindrical tubular sleeve and in one form of the method it is assembled with the display card so that the fingers on the card engage the longitudinal periphery of the clutch to retain the earring assembly on the display card. In another form of the method the earring assembly further includes a bushing member of reduced diameter on the post between the clutch and the ornament member and the earring assembly is assembled with the display card so that the fingers on the display card engage the bushing member to retain the earring assembly in a predetermined orientation on the display card.
The earring and display card assembly of the instant invention which is preferably made by the above described method comprises a card portion including a substantially flat card member having front and rear sides, the card member having a reduced aperture therein and a plurality of slits which radiate outwardly from the aperture to define a plurality of resilient fingers therearound, and an earring assembly portion including an ornament member having front and rear sides, a post extending rearwardly from the rear side of the ornament member and a clutch received and releasably frictionally retained on the post. The aperture in the card member is dimensioned to normal receive the post therethrough but not the clutch, although the fingers are rearwardly deflectable for receiving the post with the clutch thereon through the aperture. The earring assembly is assembled with the card member so that the post extends through the aperture with the ornament member disposed on the front side of the card member and at least a portion of the clutch disposed on the rear side of the card member. The clutch is preferably of substantially tubular cylindrical configuration and in one embodiment of the earring and display card assembly the clutch is disposed entirely on the rear side of the card member. In another embodiment of the earring and display card assembly the earring assembly further comprises a bushing member which is received on the post between the clutch and the ornament member. In this embodiment the bushing member is of greater dimension than the aperture but of smaller dimension than the clutch and it is received in the aperture so that the fingers engage the bushing member to retain the earring assembly in a predetermined orientation on the display card.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide an effective method of assembling an earring assembly on a display card.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a method of assembling an earring assembly on a display card, which method is adapted for automated assembly techniques.
An even further object of the instant invention is to provide an effective earring and display card assembly which can be assembled by automated assembly techniques.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.